Bites

Margaret River-based MadFish Wines will  host the first outdoor screening of the 2006 TropFest, the world’s largest short film festival. What began at the Tropicana Caffe in Sydney’s Darlinghurst in the early 1990s has spawned a legend. TropFest attracts over 800 entrants, the best 16 of which are screened simultaneously in each state. MadFish will host the event on Saturday March 4.One of the state’s two major hospitality awards, the Restaurant and Caterers Industry Awards, recently handed out a few surprises and some traditional praise to restaurant stalwarts. Among those to taste industry recognition for the first time was Emma’s On The Boardwalk, which was named best new restaurant. And a quiet commitment to excellence was finally recognised as Soren Koberstein and Sabine Treder received the best European restaurant award. The awards also honoured some industry veterans for their work in advancing the hospitality industry in this state, with Mondo’s enigmatic butcher extraordinaire, Vince Gareffa, receiving a merit award for his work with the media. The catering awards were dominated by the Ogden IFC, Spices and Zest Catering. And for their commitment to their restaurant The Witch’s Cauldron, owners Geoff and Tanis Gosling were inducted into the R&CIA Hall of Fame.